Secrets Revealed
by RedWarrior702
Summary: A new threat has emerged in Kalos, and it's up to a team of rookie Pokedex Holders to stop it. Join Koty, Ryan, Kaylee, and the others as they discover the secrets behind the history of Kalos.
1. The Man on the Train

**Sorry about not updating my profile with any new stories for a long time, but I finally have something for you all! It may not be an update to my other story but I had thought of doing this and I couldn't do anything else.**

**Let me know what you all think!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

"Hurry up!" Shouted a teen girl as she ran frantically. "The train's going to leave us behind if we don't!" She continued to run, yet it was obvious she was having trouble doing so; heavy bags full of clothing weighed her down while strands of wavy brunette hair repeatedly blinded her.

"Kaylee, it's your fault we're gonna be late! You just _had_ to go shopping, didn't you?" Koty looked back at her in mild annoyance. He and another boy had been running alongside her.

Kaylee puffed out her cheeks. "Hey, it's not _my_ fault you inhaled all of our food this past week! We needed supplies," she retorted.

"Most of what you're carrying is clothing that you bought, what are you talking about?"

"Have you _seen _my clothes these last few days? They look awful! I had to get new ones!"

"Yeah, well I had to eat!"

The other boy, whose name was Ryan, increased his speed and grabbed two of Kaylee's bags in addition to those he had already been carrying. "C'mon, we gotta go! If we don't make it on board the train in time, we're stuck out here!"

The three trainers approached the train in a rush as the conductor called for the final passengers. Running into the open door before the attendant could stop them and ask for their passports, Koty and Kaylee raced inside.

"U-Uh, sir! Ma'am? I need to see your-!"

Ryan, knowing ahead of time that the man would need to see their information, stopped before entering and reached into his pocket.

"My name is Ryan, I'm a Pokedex Holder here in Kalos." As he said this, he handed the red handheld device to the attendant. "The other two are Koty and Kaylee, both are Pokedex Holders as well." He laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head, his fingers between strands of dirty blond hair. "Sorry about them running past you like that. I have copies of their identification in there, too."

The attendant examined the Pokedex, evaluating Ryan's information along with that of his traveling partners. "Ah yes, I was told you were coming. You work for Sycamore, correct?"

Ryan nodded. "Yessir."

The attendant nodded in response. After a moment, he returned the device. "Everything seems to be in order. Enjoy your trip; we will be departing shortly."

Once Ryan had boarded, the attendant closed the door and began to make his way to the front of the train. The young trainer looked around for his two friends by taking a left toward the back of the train. Surely enough, there they were: Kaylee was sorting through her new clothes with her Vulpix seated in her lap, while Koty sat across from her. The Drilbur seated next to Koty was contently eating a Sitrus berry.

Placing the bags with the others and seating himself next to Kaylee, Ryan relaxed and let out one of his own pokemon. He allowed the Pokeball to open up in his hand. In a flash of light a Pikachu appeared on the table that separated the two seats. The Pikachu smiled in delight and jumped in his trainer's lap as the Vulpix had.

Ryan looked at the feasting Drilbur next to Koty and raised an eyebrow. "Uh, hasn't he had like, three of those berries today already?" he questioned, referring to the Drilbur.

"Are you calling Walter fat, you honkey?" Koty threatened. Ryan shook his head. "Good, because he's not!"

Kaylee was finally able to fold all of her new clothes and place them neatly into one shopping bag before a girl the same age as the three trainers walked by. Upon noticing that there was a Pikachu at the table she stopped and turned immediately, causing her dark, wavy hair to swish. Koty looked up with interest.

"Oh my gosh, your Pikachu is so cute!" she gushed.

Before Ryan or Kaylee could say anything, Koty jumped in. "Pikachu might be cute, but you may find me to be cuter. What's your name, sweetheart?"

Kaylee and Ryan looked at each other, knowing the other was mentally slapping themselves in the face.

The girl seemed shocked for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "If you must know, my name's Callie."

Koty grinned. "You can call me Koty, or 'babe' if you prefer."

Callie sighed and proceeded to walk away.

"...She's playing hard to hard to get, that's all."

Ryan and Kaylee snickered.

"Whatever," Ryan said. "So what do we do when we get to the next town? We're fresh on supplies, and there are no gyms or contest halls or anything exciting to be found on the map."

"I'm not sure," answered Kaylee. She thought a moment. "Maybe we could just take it easy for a couple days? We've been working hard, and we might as well make our journeys last, right?"

Ryan and Koty looked at each other. "I don't see anything wrong with that," Koty said. "I could use a break!"

"That'd be nice. It'll give me and my pokemon some time to train."

Kaylee smiled. "So it's settled! We'll all take it easy for the first two days we're in town." The two boys nodded in agreement.

* * *

After about half an hour into the train ride, Ryan and Kaylee found themselves lounging in their respective seats. Ryan was flipping through his Pokedex, while Kaylee was lying on her back as her Vulpix enjoyed the comfort given by its trainer.

"Hey, Ryan?" she started.

"Hm?"

"Why did you want to go on a journey in the first place?"

Ryan sat himself up and placed the Pokedex on the table. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the three of us decided to leave on a journey together a long time ago, but what made you want to leave home so badly?"

He thought a moment. "Well... I guess I've just always wanted to prove myself. I want to work hard to make myself a good trainer, and make everyone back home proud."

Kaylee smiled. "That's a good way to think about it."

"What's yours?" Ryan asked with interest.

"I just wanted to get out of the house and meet new people, you know? It got boring living at home all the time. And just maybe," she paused, "maybe there's a great guy out there waiting for me to come along."

Ryan laughed. "Yeah I getcha."

Kaylee smirked, sitting up and looking directly at him. "And what about you? Don't tell me you wouldn't want a girlfriend."

"Hey, I'm not saying anything!" He laughed, avoiding her taunting gaze. "If something comes up then fine, but I'm fine with the way things are right now."

Remembering the incident earlier involving Koty and that girl named Callie, Kaylee laughed as well. "I suppose Koty's gotten a head start, then."

The two laughed. It wasn't for another few minutes that they heard a loud crash from far away.

They sat up immediately. "W-What was that?!"

Ryan stood up and looked down both ends of the walkway. "I'm not sure, but I think it came from down that way." He pointed to the left. His Pikachu jumped up to his shoulder and Kaylee picked up her Vulpix into her arms. The two trainers ran to the end of the hall and opened the door. Walking through it, they were greeted with a sudden rush of wind due to the train's speed at which it was traveling. Opening the next door that led to the other car, they walked in hurriedly. They could not have been prepared for what they saw.

A man standing at about six-and-a-half feet was staring out of an enormous hole in the car, smiling. The wind flowing in from that hole hardly fazed his short, black hair. The dark green jacket was big and loose, covering most of the clothing he wore underneath, except the lower half of a pair of black trousers. The monster standing next to him was a land shark that stood upon two legs and had two long scythes at the ends of its arms.

Ryan's and Kaylee's eyes were wide in shock. Ryan swallowed hard, and stepped forward. "H-Hey! Who are you?!"

The man seemed to take notice of their presence at this point. He turned to them and grinned. "What does it matter? In a moment the two of you will be dead." Kaylee took a step back. Ryan looked back at her, a hand on his belt to offer her reassurance. At the same time Pikachu's cheeks started to crackle. "But, I'll tell you because I like to get the word out. My name is Argus. I would tell you more, but I think you have more pressing matters at hand. " With the wave of a hand, the monster standing next to him formed a sphere of light from its mouth. "Like this!"

Upon command, the sphere of light released its energy in the form of a beam that tore through the car. Ryan and Kaylee jumped to opposite sides in an attempt to dodge the attack.

After the attack stopped, Ryan called out, "Kaylee! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah," she coughed. "I'm okay!"

Ryan stood up, followed by Kaylee. Pikachu jumped from his shoulder onto the floor in front of him.

"What is that thing?" she asked.

"Not sure," grunted Ryan. "It looks like a Garchomp, but... it looks so strange."

Argus smirked. "No lie, this is indeed a Garchomp. This one, however, is much stronger than any Garchomp you've ever seen. Come up to the roof of the next train car if you want to see just how strong it really is! And you'd better hurry. This train is set to crash into the next railroad station and there's no stopping it." With that, the man jumped out of the massive hole in the wall and climbed up while the supposed Garchomp flew after him.

Ryan and Kaylee stood in horror. The train was going to crash.

"I-I... I can't believe it! He's going to kill everyone on this train!" Kaylee cried. "This isn't right!"

_He's ready to kill us and all the innocent people on the train, just for kicks. But... I'm not all that strong. I can't stop him._ His eyes widened. Images of debris everywhere, with lifeless bodies littered across the train came to him in his head. _No way. I'm not going to let him win! I can't!_

Ryan motioned for Pikachu to jump on his shoulder and he made his way to the hole in the wall. "Ryan!" Kaylee called. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"If I can't beat him, I'm at least going to buy you some time! Go find Koty and stop this train!" He turned and climbed out the hole the same way Argus had a moment ago.

She stared at the empty car in front of her. She looked down at the Vulpix in her arms. She smiled. "C'mon, we can do this. Everyone's counting on us." The fox let out a bark as if to agree with her. Kaylee ran to the opposite end of the car to begin her search for Koty.

As she opened the door, she thought to herself: _Now I know what you meant when you said he was reckless, Patricia. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him, but I think he'll be okay. He's stronger than he thinks. _With a more determined look in her eyes, she continued forward. _The only thing I can do now is trust him and stop this train._


	2. Battle on the Rails

Ryan felt the sudden rush of the wind as he pushed himself up on top of the train car. His medium-length hair blew into his face but it didn't bother him. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and stared down the man standing on the car ahead.

Argus grinned. "So you decided to come, eh?"

Ryan stood up, staring back. "I'm not about to let you do this, not without giving everything I've got!"

His opponent's grin grew bigger and he laughed. "Good answer! Now, Garchomp, take him out!" Upon command the dragon leaped toward its target, scythes crossed and ready for attack.

Ryan's eyes widened. Pikachu ducked while he dodged to the left, all the while never taking his eyes off the monster. _It's too fast! _He looked ahead in Argus's direction. The wind was blowing intensely, causing him to squint and his red jacket to billow rapidly behind him._ This wind is ridiculous! How am I gonna keep up with its movements with this wind? Wait... the wind. That Garchomp may be getting a natural tailwind from above the train. It may not be as fast as it seems._

The Garchomp allowed itself to land, then turned around and performed the same attack. This time it came fast, but noticeably slower than it had moved a moment before. Ryan and Pikachu dodged once again. _Yep, definitely the tailwind. Maybe we can use it to our advantage!_

"Pikachu, run to the other end of the car and turn around!" The mouse seemed confused for a moment but seemed to trust its trainer's decision. The dragon remained still, readying a counterattack. "Now, run at Garchomp and jump! Use Iron Tail!" Now confident in its trainer's orders, Pikachu gave itself a small running start and jumped, all the while focusing the energy in its tail. Before its opponent could defend itself it was greeted with a heavy slam of steel to its face.

"Nice one, Pikachu!" Ryan praised. It did not last long, however. The Garchomp seemed unfazed by the attack; in fact, it seemed to smile menacingly at Pikachu. The fact that its jaw was more defined and powerful only made it all the more intimidating. It turned around to fully face its small foe and roared a powerful screech.

Ryan clenched his fist. "This isn't gonna be so easy after all."

* * *

Kaylee ran through yet another door in search of Koty. After running through six train cars, she had finally found him. He and Callie seemed to be in the middle of a conversation.

"Fine, just let me ask you one more thing: are you sure you're not a Pikachu?"

Callie stared, stunned. "Wait, what? I don't even-"

"Because you are shockingly beautiful."

The room was silent for a moment; Callie was dumbfounded. Kaylee took this opportunity to get a word in. "Koty! Did you not hear that explosion a few cars down?!"

"Wait, what? What exploded?!"

"Half of a train car! The guy that did it challenged Ryan with a weird-looking Garchomp and he's... he's in trouble."

Koty's eyes widened. "Well then let's go! We have to help him right?" He took a few steps toward the door but Kaylee stopped him.

"That's just it. We can't help him right now. The guy - his name was weird, started with an A, I think? - said that the train was going to crash. That's why Ryan agreed to fight him, to buy us enough time to stop this train!"

Koty's and Callie's eyes grew wide. "But," she said, "is this train really about to crash?"

Kaylee shook her head. "I don't know, but if it is we can't allow it to. We have to at least check it out."

"And if it's not," Koty pointed out, "then we go help Ryan." Kaylee nodded in agreement. The two of them ran to the door opposite to that which Kaylee had entered from earlier as Callie followed close behind.

Koty noticed this. He smirked and turned to her. "Couldn't keep away from me, could you?"

"You idiot, this is serious!" Callie yelled. Neither of the two Pokedex Holders noticed, but the faintest of blushes had appeared on her cheeks, then vanished as soon as it had appeared. "I'm following you because your friend - and this entire train - is in danger."

Kaylee hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then she smiled. "Thank you. We're going to need as much help as we can get."

It was not until after they had traveled through three more train cars that they found the engine, where the conductor would be. All the while they passed by older folk with younger children. Hardly any of them had pokemon, and even then they seemed to be kept as pets. Kaylee had asked Koty if any of them would be able to help, but Koty doubted it. Callie suggested it might have been best to keep quiet about the situation to as many people as possible in order to prevent an uproar.

The strangest thing is that there was no crew to be found on the train as the three teens had passed through the cars. Not even the attendant that had allowed them on board.

Koty opened the final door to exit the train. He stepped into the locomotive, as did the two girls. "The conductor's not here!" he shouted in alarm. The three teens were in shock; the car was truly empty.

Callie stepped forward clumsily and examined a large lever that came out of the floor. Something was off about it: the lever was bent at an unnatural angle. She gripped it with both hands and attempted to pull it. It wouldn't budge. "And the brakes are jammed!"

They each looked at one another. "S-So now what do we do? That guy, whatever his name is, left us with nobody to stop the train and no brakes. He really seemed to know what he was doing."

Koty slammed his fist into the wall. "That bastard!"

The worry in Callie's eyes increased every second. _There has to be a way to stop this train. Hm… we could separate the locomotive from the rest of the train. That way…_

"Something wrong?"

Callie jumped. She turned to see that Koty had asked her the question. "Uh, well… I may have an idea."

"Well, tell us!" he urged.

She nodded. "I was thinking that we could break the link between this section of the train and the rest of it, which contains all the passengers. If we do that, everyone will be safe because the cars would slow down on their own."

"But," Kaylee interjected, "wouldn't that just make this section move even faster than it already is? It would be even worse for the people at the station!"

Callie shook her head. "Not if we pull the breaks. The cars would slow down by themselves, and with the locomotive being separate, its momentum would be much less and it won't derail nearly as easily."

It was Koty's turn to ask. "Couldn't we just pull it without separating the engine?"

"If we do, the brakes would have to be applied harder. The extra force of the rest of the train may increase the risk of the train derailing." She looked out the front window. The train station was far away, but still in sight. "And by the looks of it, we don't have much time."

The two others nodded. "I'm good with your plan, Callie," Koty agreed. "It's not like we have a lot of time to think of anything else, anyway."

Kaylee looked around. "Only problem is the breaks. How do we-!"

"Stand back!" Koty shouted. The girls stood behind him. He tossed a Pokeball in front of him and called forth his pokemon of choice. "Tyrogue, knock that lever back into place with a Mega Kick!" Without hesitation the small fighting-type began to focus the energy in its left leg. Putting its weight onto its right foot and jumping, it slammed its left foot into the lever. The bar was bent back the other way. It wasn't perfect but it would be functional.

"Good thinking, Koty!" Kaylee exclaimed. She turned to Callie. "Now, we have to separate the cars from this thing before we pull the break, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, and we have to do it quickly!"

Kaylee opened the door to exit the locomotive. A thick, metal link between the locomotive and the first car connected the two together. _It doesn't look like something we can separate manually, not with the tools we have._ She looked down at the Vulpix in her arms. _Metal expands when heated... but if we can cool it…_ "That's it! Koty, call out your Croconaw!"

He did as instructed, holding a classic red-and-white capsule in front of him. A small, blue gator popped out and gave a low growl.

She set her Vulpix down on the ground in front of her. "Koty, when Vulpix uses Flamethrower, have Croconaw fire off a Water Pulse in the same spot. After a few times we should be able to break it. Got it?"

"Got it!" Koty confirmed. "Let's get this over with!"

* * *

Things were not going so well for Ryan, either. Pikachu was getting tired while the strange Garchomp had hardly broken a sweat. The best Pikachu could do was dodge attacks and whittle it down with Quick Attack, occasionally batting it with an Iron Tail, but that strategy did not seem to be working.

Ryan clenched his fist. He was running out of options and he knew it. _This isn't looking good. I could switch a different pokemon in, but what good would that do? None of them have the speed to dodge this thing's attacks nor the defenses to take a hit. Pikachu's my best bet until I get some help from the others._

"What's the matter, kid?" Argus's voice boomed. Ryan's eyes opened wide. "Don't tell me you're finished now! Aren't you having fun?"

Ryan remained silent.

Argus smirked. "I'll give you credit where credit is due. You managed to last this long against my Garchomp – with a Pikachu, no less! Honestly, I'm impressed. However," he said as he altered his stance, "this is it for you." The Garchomp, knowing all too well what its trainer was going to say next, lowered its head and spread its arms. Its scythe-like arms reflected the sunlight, almost as if they were made of light themselves.

Suddenly, an unusual feeling overcame both trainers. The trees on either side of the train began to pass by at a slower rate. Argus turned around to see that, indeed, they were moving slower. The train was slowing down. The locomotive had moved a fair distance ahead of the cars. Seeing this, Argus smiled to himself. The train was still going to crash. Ryan held his breath.

The older man's smile faded as quickly as it came. Sparks. Lots of them. The brakes had been activated! The teen breathed a sigh of relief. _They did it after all_, he thought.

"But… but, how? They couldn't have fixed it!" Argus yelled. Clenching his fists in frustration, he turned to Ryan once again. "Well if the train doesn't kill anyone, I'm at least going to kill _you_! Garchomp!"

There was hardly any time to react. In the blink of an eye, the land shark lunged in the teen's direction with bladed arms crossed.

He tried to evade by leaning away from the attack, but it was fruitless. Garchomp uncrossed its arms just as it soared past Ryan, and slashed.

Ryan's eyes shot open fully. He fell to his knees.

Argus grinned.

"Pika!" The yellow rodent ran up to its trainer and nudged him. His head was hung low and he held his arms to his midsection. The mouse's attention was drawn to its trainer's injury. A thick liquid dripped slowly onto the roof of the train car below him. Blood. Pikachu's ears drooped. "Pikaa…"

"One more attack like that one and he's done for! Garchomp, finish him!" Hearing Argus's laugh, Pikachu turned toward him and the land shark and growled with crackling cheeks. The Garchomp let loose a blood-curdling roar as it prepared to strike once more. It lowered its head, ready to charge.

Shakily, the young trainer managed to slide one foot out from under him. Shifting all of his energy into his legs, Ryan forced himself to stand back up. Deep breath in; deep breath out. He calmed himself and waited a short moment for the pain to bring itself down to a bearable level. Removing his hand from his side to cradle the injury, he tilted his head up to stare down his opponent.

Argus gave his signature smirk. "I knew you had some fight left in you. Yet it must be tough understanding that you could never win this fight."

All Ryan could do was watch. Watch as his opponent taunted him, threatening to end his life. It was true: he knew he couldn't win this fight, but he didn't care anymore. He had kept Argus busy long enough for Koty and Kaylee to stop the train. He did exactly what he said he'd do.

The man in green simply stared. He waited for a response from his victim, but received none. Argus sighed. "Nothing to say? Fine." He snapped his fingers. "Garchomp, finish him off! Iron Head!"

The land shark, its head remaining low, sped in Ryan's direction. Pikachu jumped in front of its trainer, tail gleaming silver as it prepared an Iron Tail, but immediately stopped. The Garchomp did as well. Sparks flashed on the roof of the train car between the two pairs of combatants.

Argus and Ryan looked toward the front of the train to examine what had caused the interruption. Argus gritted his teeth. A squad of military officers, donning long-sleeved black uniforms under bullet-proof vests, sprinted in their direction, each with either a pistol or an assault rifle. Their boots and cargo pants were also black. They wore helmets of the same color, each with an orange visor.

The young trainer simply stood, right hand cradling his abdomen, awestruck. Pikachu jumped back to Ryan's side to avoid being caught in any possible conflict between their opponent and the officers. However, Argus was not about to let himself be caught. Sure, the super powered pokemon he possessed could retaliate while only taking minimal damage from the officers' bullets, but he was not in the mood. Any attack by him and his Garchomp would result in more wasted time and more attention brought to him. He had failed this mission.

Argus reached for his belt quickly, snatching a Pokeball and activating the release function manually. The capsule opened with a pop and released a white light that formed the shape of a large bird with red, white, and blue feathers. The bird assessed the situation and, before the officers could fire any bullets, grabbed its master by the forearm and swooped him away. The Garchomp leaped into the air and soared after them.

"Stop! Get back here!" shouted an indiscernible officer. He pointed his firearm in Argus's direction.

"It's no use." Everyone present, including the officers and Ryan, turned around. The speaker was a man—most likely in his twenties—with a strong build and short, black hair. His uniform was more defined than those of other Kalos military personnel. He did not wear any form of headgear, and his sleeves were short. He continued, "We have more pressing matters to attend to." The man motioned to Ryan. "Get the kid to the hospital, and find his friends. Our backup team is already on the move and is tailing the target."

Ryan shuddered. _Wait… my friends? How does he know about Koty and Kaylee?_ Two officers approached him from either side and helped him walk. He winced. _Urgh! I'll figure this out later. Right now I need get this injury treated before it gets worse. Kaylee and Koty are probably worried enough as it is._

* * *

**Thank you all for your support on my story so far! The next chapter will be up in a week, if not sooner. Although it won't be very action-y, it'll pertain to the plot heavily.**

**Stay tuned!**


	3. The Invitation

**I'm back again with another chapter! This one was supposed to be a good bit longer, but I decided to save it for the next chapter so that I could get it up on time.**

**Thanks again for reading my story!**

**P.S. Thanks for telling me about the missing section in the story. I had paused there to take a break, I guess I never caught that when I looked it over. I fixed it now, so it should be fine.**

* * *

Inside the solo locomotive, Koty applied the brakes as far as the mechanism would allow. Meanwhile, Kaylee and Callie secured themselves by crouching and grabbing hold of whatever seemed sturdy enough. Orange sparks erupted from the friction between the wheels and the metal rails. At that same moment, the train engine jerked and caused the teens inside to stagger. Once the train started to slow down at a constant rate they stood back into their respective spots.

Koty moved away from the brake lever and peered out the open window to his left. They weren't going to make it, not in the relatively short distance remaining between the locomotive and the train station. He cursed to himself.

What he saw next shocked him: a group of figures stood at the entrance to the station. Many appeared to be human, clad in black armor of some sort, yet what really caught Koty's attention was a pair of hulking, metal beasts. They stood in the path of the train tracks about halfway between the station and the remaining distance between it and the runaway train.

Koty's eyes shot open. Those Aggron were going to stop the train! He turned to the other passengers. "Get down and hold onto something!" Fearing the worst, the two girls crouched lower and tightened their grip. Kaylee's heartbeat increased dramatically. She braced herself. _W-What's going to happen to us? Are we really about to crash?! What if_—She gasped. _What about Ryan? He could be hurt, or… or worse. I couldn't live with myself if he or Koty were to die. _Her eyes began to sting, tears threatening to fall from them. She shook her head, denying the situation she faced. _No; I have to believe that we'll come out of this okay._

_This isn't good_, Callie though. _Is this thing going to crash after all?_ Her eyes shuddered. _I never expected anything like this to happen… I wish I could have seen my family one last time._ She turned to her left. Kaylee was gripping the railing tight, her eyes shut even tighter as she tried to keep her emotions under control. The sight caused Callie's expression to soften. _I can't imagine what's going through her mind right now._

The locomotive had, by this time, slowed down considerably, but was still moving too fast to manually halt before entering the station. The pair of Aggron saw this coming and raised their arms in front of them. The train engine approached. They braced themselves for impact. With a powerful force, the machine slammed itself into the two steel-clad monsters. They managed to slow it down tremendously by pushing against it, but it was continuing to travel at a very fast pace.

The two Aggron were being pushed back, their heavy feet tearing up the solid ground and the railroad tracks from under them. Dirt, grass, and bits of wood and steel flew in all directions. The locomotive began to slow steadily.

After the initial shock, slowly, Kaylee's eyes opened. _Did we… did we crash? No, we're still moving. But what did we hit?_

"We're gonna be okay!" Koty shouted, as if to answer her unspoken question. "Someone's helping us from outside! We just need to hold on for one more minute!"

It took a moment for both girls to register what Koty had told them before they sighed in relief. The locomotive slowed even more. The pair of Aggron was now able to plant their feet in the ground and bring the machine to a complete halt.

As its wheels turned one final time, a puff of smoke shot out of the top of the locomotive. The monsters lowered their arms and steadily lugged their bodies out of the way. The armored men approached.

Once they were sure that the train was no longer moving, Koty, Kaylee, and Caliie stood, one after another, and made their way toward the exit. After the door opened, they stepped out and were faced with the armored men in black.

Koty and Kaylee, knowing not who the men were, responded by reaching for their Pokeballs. The unknown men showed no change in stance toward the defense.

The figure in front, who wore a black-and-orange helmet as the others did, spoke up. "You two are Koty and Kaylee, Pokedex Holders for Sycamore, are you not?"

The two in question froze in place.

"Y-Yes we are," Kaylee answered uneasily. Koty shot her a look as if to question her as to why she was so quick to answer. They had no idea who these men were; Kaylee hadn't thought of the consequences. They hadn't thought of how these men could possibly know their names.

The man who had asked the question nodded his head to the right. "We'll need you to come with us. Commander Riaz requires that he see the two of you, along with your friend Ryan, immediately."

Kaylee looked to Kaylee, and Koty to Kaylee with the same stunned expression. _How did they know Ryan's name, too? Who are they? _Kaylee remembered the situation at hand. She asked, "Is Ryan okay?"

The man hesitated. He then answered, "He's alive." Three sighs of relief. "Whether or not he's 'okay' is something you'll have to see for yourself." He turned to leave while the other armored figures separated to stand either in front of or behind the Pokedex Holders.

Kaylee clutched her chest. Hearing that Ryan was alive after all made her feel significantly better, but the way the man spoke left her with an uneasy feeling. She and Koty agreed to the offer.

As the group prepared to depart, another armored man directed his attention to Callie, who, at this time, was unsure of what she should do. He turned to the others. "Uh, what about this one?" he called.

The leading officer focused on her. He looked her over, and he thought. "I see. There was nothing about her in the report. Take her anyway."

Koty, Kaylee, and Callie exchanged looks. Callie shrugged. The armored men proceeded to escort them to their commanding officer.

* * *

The open window in the hospital room served as a gateway fro a cool, evening breeze. Ryan sat in the bed that was provided to him, but remained above the sheets and in his outer clothing. He had removed his tennis shoes and black t-shirt, only for the shirt to be replaced with a now-bloodstained bandage wrapped around his abdomen. He still wore his usual red jacket, unzipped, over the wound.

Across from him sat the military officer, known as Commander Riaz, which led the armored men and Ryan to this hospital. He would stare out the open window, watch as the deep blue curtains would billow ever so slightly. His left leg had been crossed over his right knee in a relaxed position.

Moments later, the door opened. Both Ryan and the older man darted their eyes toward it. Three helmet-wearing officers walked in. "Commander," began the one at the front, "we've grought the rest of them." They stepped aside, allowing for Kaylee, Koty, and Callie to file in.  
Upon first sight, they could do little more than stare. Ryan grinned sheepishly. "Hey, guys," he greeted. Kaylee and Koty ran up to him frantically.

"Y-you're injured," Kaylee stammered. "Does is hurt?"

Ryan shook his head. "It did for a little while, but now that it's all fixed up it doesn't feel so bad."

Koty turned to Kaylee, who folded her arms disapprovingly. He couldn't stop her from slamming her fist into the side of Ryan's head as she yelled, "You big dope!"

Ryan held his head, grunting, and yelled, "Hey, I did what I had to do! At least I'm alive!"

"That's precisely—" Commander Riaz cut in. "—why I wanted to see you." He maintained his relaxed demeanor, almost to the point of seeming bored.

The others turned to him in unison. "Wait, what do you mean?" Callie questioned.

Koty narrowed his eyes. "And who are you?"

Riaz introduced himself. "Call me Commander Riaz; I'm in charge of the Special Forces of West Kalos. Under normal circumstances you may not have heard of either my squad or that of the East, but that's the way it has to be. We serve as the protectors of this region." He cleared his throat almost silently. "Introductions aside, I must get to the point." The Commander bore his gaze directly into Ryan's eyes.

"The mere fact that you had survived an attack by Argus," he continued, "a dangerous man we've been targeting for weeks, for as long as you had is enough reason for us to consider you." He then examined each of the others. "Responding to the situation at hand and saving the passengers on the train was no easy feat either."

Koty grinned. "Well that's what you can expect from a super-awesome Trainer like me!" he boasted. Callie rolled her eyes.

"Wait," Kaylee interjected. "What do you mean by 'considering' us?" A thin eyebrow was raised questioningly.

The Commander nodded. "I feel as though the four of you would be important assets in hunting Argus down."

"So," Koty began, "you're asking us to help you find and apprehend a terrorist who uses a living saw blade to kill people?"

"Essentially." The faintest of smiles appeared on his lips for merely a second. Reverting to his naturally serious tone, he continued. "My facilities will offer all that you will need in order to train. You're going to need it if you truly expect to stand a chance against this man."

Ryan perked up. _Training? They can help me get stronger; me and my pokemon. We're going to need it; It's a miracle that I got out alive today._ A light flashed in his mind. Again, images of a trainwreck flowed through, detailing wasted bodies and damage as far as the eye could see. _No way… I can't let anything like that happen. Ever. Not if I can stop it._ Snapping out of the mental phase, he shook his head.

Commander Riaz awaited an answer patiently. The other young trainers were mulling it over as well.

Suddenly, Ryan clenched his fists tight. Not allowing himself any more time to change his mind, he shouted, "I'll do it!" His friends once again directed their attention at him. He continued, "After seeing for myself what kind of power Argus has, and what kind of destruction he can cause, I can't let this go. If I don't do anything, I'd be allowing him to hurt and kill innocent people!" His eyes flared. "And I know I'm not all that strong, but if you can help make me stronger I'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe!"

Kaylee stared at him, awestruck. _I had no idea you would get so worked up over this,_ she thought. She wanted to stop him, stop him from possibly injuring himself worse than he had been today, but she couldn't. He wasn't going to back down, she knew, and it was for the good of everyone in Kalos.

Koty smiled confidently. "Well, if Ryan's in then so am I! Argus hasn't met me yet, and he's sure to get his ass beat!"

Kaylee flipped her head around instantly, the shock on her face evident. _You too, Koty?_ She grabbed at her sleeve nervously. _They're both determined to do this. Can't they see how dangerous it is? Then again_—Kaylee's soft eyes crossed over Koty and Ryan—_they never really cared about danger; not when they put their minds to something. They may be able to do this, but they're not going anywhere without me!_

Swallowing any doubts she may have had, she spoke up. "I'm in, too! I wouldn't know what to do without these two dunces, so I have no choice." Ryan and Koty looked at her and laughed, appreciating the fact that Kaylee had decided to stick it out with them.

Callie, noticing that even Kaylee had agreed, felt as though she also had no other choice. She spoke up. "I'll join in too. I know I don't know the three of you very well, and I'm not a very experienced battler at all, but I think you all are a great group and we can all get better together." She and Kaylee shared a smile.

Commander Riaz's eyebrows were raised ever so slightly; just enough to tell that he was shocked. Perhaps impressed would be a more accurate term. He nodded approvingly. "Then you start the moment Ryan recovers from his injury. I will be back to retrieve you after that, so be prepared."  
With that, the Commander got up and made his way to the door. He exited and shut the door behind him. The four who were left eventually went their own separate ways. Callie and Kaylee chatted for a short while, eventually deciding to take a walk outside the hospital. Visiting hours would be ending soon. Koty, finding the opportunity to flirt with Callie, decided to leave as well and follow after the girls. As the three of them left, Ryan laughed to himself. He had called his pokemon out of their protective capsules, allowing them to spend time with their trainer. Pikachu snuggled into his side. A Baltoy, at first floating above the bed, wrapped its arms around itself in preparation for sleep. It remained floating just above the bed sheets. Ryan's third pokemon, a green-and-red dragonfly known as Yanma, joyfully settled itself on its trainer's head.

As the sun set and the light from the window began to fade, Ryan and his pokemon closed their eyes to fall asleep. In a few days' time, they would be ready for the training of their lives.


	4. A Late-Night Call

**Sorry for the late update, but school piled up A LOT the last couple weeks and I haven't been able to get much work done. I decided that this would be a good way to introduce some plot points and let you guys get to know more about Patricia's character.**

**I know it's short, but it's what I've got til the next update. Thanks again for reading!**

* * *

Ryan lie in the hospital bed that night, unable to sleep. He didn't feel tired now that he thought about it, so why force it? All that he could do was stare at the ceiling and think; think about the events that had transpired that day.

_Just was that thing on the train?_ He asked himself. _It looked a lot like a Garchomp, but it… had something else to it. It had a lot more power than anything I'd ever seen._ Ryan chuckled. _It's almost like it's an evolved form of Garchomp. But that's impossible… right? _He stared more intently at the ceiling, finding an unexplainable interest in the pattern above him._ Well, whatever it was I hope we don't run into it again any time soon._

He sighed. "If only I'd been stronger, or if it were someone else…" Realizing what he had said, he squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and covered his face with one hand. "What's wrong with me? I always think too much over the dumbest things, and where does it get me?" Thinking it best not to answer his own rhetorical question, he remained quiet for a moment.

Ryan examined the clock on the opposite wall. Eleven twenty-three. After a brief moment of thought, a smile formed on his lips. "I suppose I could give Patricia a call," he decided. "It has been a while, after all. Not to mention she'd actually be awake at this time, considering she lives all the way in Hoenn."

The idea seemed to be perfect, except for one small flaw: the video phone was on the other side of the room. Glaring at the machine, he grunted. _Gonna have to get up and walk at some point I guess_, he told himself.

Simply shifting his legs was painful. He cringed at the motion. By placing his arms underneath the rest of his body and using them to propel himself, he managed to swing his legs toward the edge so that they hung off the side. With one more push he successfully ejected himself from the bed and landing on his feet with a wince. He held onto the bed for support as he adjusted himself to a fully standing position.

He took a step forward and, expecting a shock of pain, was shocked instead by a lack thereof. He took another step. No pain either. Thinking it best not to rush it, Ryan continued to walk slowly and with patience. Upon reaching the video phone and booting it up, he glanced down and was reminded of his current attire: blue jeans, his classic red jacket, and a bloodied bandage that took the place of the black t-shirt he had worn earlier. He considered putting his shirt back on to hide the wound, but convinced himself that it would be better for her to find out now rather than later.

The bright, white screen in the once nearly pitch-black room blinded Ryan temporarily. He grunted and allowed his eyes to adjust. After doing so, he dialed the number on-screen and held the phone up to his face.

The screen blinked after three rings. No longer a solid white background, the screen depicted a live picture of a girl with smooth, black hair that reached just past her shoulders. Upon seeing his face from the other side of her computer screen her eyes lit up from behind a pair of eyeglasses.

"Ryan!" she beamed. "It's been so long since I've talked to you! How are you?"

He grinned. "It's great to see you, too! A lot's happened, actually."

"Ooh, like what?" she asked with full interest, leaning toward the screen. Her eyes lowered to the reddened bandage. She blinked, and her expression shifted. "And why aren't you wearing a—wait, what did you do?!"

Ryan sighed, knowing she had noticed the injury already. "Well, you see I—"

"I made Kaylee promise me not to let you get hurt while you were away! I knew I should have told the Professor to let me go."

"If you were there you would've understood!" he blurted.

The two were silent for a moment, only staring at each other. Patricia took a deep breath. Then, as calmly as she could make herself sound, she asked, "Can you tell me what happened then?"

Ryan cleared his throat. "Well, ya see; Koty, Kaylee, and I had boarded the train for the next town. Everything was fine. Koty ran off to go hit on a girl we had met before—" Patricia giggled, even though she was still mildly upset. "—which left me and Kaylee to sit and talk for a while. Later on, we heard a crashing noise, like tearing metal, so of course she came with me to check it out." Ryan could see her tense up. He frowned. "When we went over to the next car, this guy and his Garchomp attacked us. Kaylee and I were able to get out of its way, but then he told us that he had set up the train so that it would crash and that I should battle him." Patricia's eyes shot open.

"So, what happened then?!" she pressed. "The train didn't crash, did it?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, but it would have if Koty and Kaylee weren't there to stop it. I somehow managed to last until the train stopped in a battle on top of the train—"

"On top of the train?!"

He cursed himself for not leaving that detail out. Nevertheless, he continued. "But he was way too strong. He knew it, and up until the end he was just toying with me and Pikachu. That's when he had his Garchomp charge at me one more time…" Ryan looked down at the bandage around his abdomen. "That's where this came from."

Silence once again haunted the two. After a moment had passed, Patricia's eyes shut tight and she gritted her teeth. She began to yell. "Damn it, Ryan! You're not back at home playing field sports with the guys anymore. If you get hurt out there, there'll be real consequences. You could permanently damage your body, or…"

She didn't have to finish the last sentence. He stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. He could see the worry in her eyes.

His eyes, however, became soft. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm going to get a whole lot stronger so that something like this—or worse—doesn't happen. The Kalos Special Forces are going to help train me and my pokemon once I recover. Turns out they've been tracking down the same guy that attacked the train, and they want Koty, Kaylee, and me to help bring him down."

Patricia's eyes opened fully. "R-Really, the Special Forces? Are you sure about this? I mean…" she glanced again at the wound. "You _did_ just have this happen to you."  
Her friend grinned. "Yep! They're gonna help me get stronger. I just hope that I'll be strong enough in time for when Argus shows up again."

She frowned. "I know you will, you just have to work at it."

"I guess so," he said. "But if I'm not, there's always Koty or someone better—"

"Ryan, please don't do this." Worry was written all over her face. "Please don't compare yourself to other people. It's not fair to you or anyone else, and you won't be happy if you live your life weighing your successes to those of the people around you."

He was still. He didn't know what to say; he had always thought the point of competition, and eventually becoming the best there is, was about being better in comparison to other trainers. He shook his head. "I think I see what you mean… but I can't quite understand it."

Patricia smiled, as if she expected him to not understand. "It's okay, just think about it. I'm sure you'll understand soon enough.—" A faint voice called from her end of the call. "—Coming!" she called back. She looked back at the screen. "Well I have to go. I hope you do well, and keep me updated! I'll see you soon."

The two said their goodbyes and ended the call. Ryan turned the screen off, bringing him back to the dark room. He folded his arms. _What did she mean by that? It just doesn't make any sense. _

He turned and walked steadily back to the bed, Sitting on the edge, he stared out the window. _Well, one thing's for sure_, he thought to himself: _Whether it's to Koty, Argus, or anyone else…I'm tired of losing._


	5. Taking a Trip

**And I'm back with another late update xD Sorry for the wait but you know how it is... school, life, that sorta thing.**

**There will be an update to be posted this Thursday/Friday for Valentine's Day so please check that out once it's up. Not much story development, but something fun for the story.**

**Anyway, here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it :D**

* * *

Two days had passed since the day of the attack aboard the train. Ryan had recovered from his injury at a surprisingly fast pace, much to the disbelief of Koty and the others. As they entered his hospital room simultaneously that morning, Ryan was out of bed, dressed once again in his classic attire. He stretched his arms over his head as he took in the warmth from the window. Hearing their footsteps, Ryan turned to see Koty, Kaylee, and Callie in the doorway. He grinned. "Mornin'," he greeted. "So when does the Commander get here?"

Koty shrugged. "I figured you would know. And how are you up and moving so easily already?"

"Not sure," Ryan shrugged back. "I guess I'm just a fast healer."

Kaylee smiled. "Well, that's good. You really had me worried when we first saw you after you got hurt." Her head lowered as her gaze shifted away. "I don't know how I could have explained it to Patricia if something happened to you. Especially when I'm supposed to be making sure you're safe in her absence."

Facing her fully, Ryan's eyes grew wide. He stuttered. "Y-Yeah... sorry. I guess I was a bit reckless back there."

Koty shook his head. "Don't beat yourself up. You did good, little bro!" Ryan chuckled at the nickname.

Callie nodded. "Yeah, I mean if it weren't for you things would have turned out differently."

Ryan smiled. Before he could offer his thanks a deep voice permeated the room from behind his friends. "So, then, you've recovered already?" They turned; Commander Riaz stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. "I thought it would have taken another couple days at least, but that doesn't matter."

Callie blinked. "W-Wait, how did you know he had healed?" she asked, awestruck. "You didn't come by every day, did you?"

The Commander shifted his weight away from the frame and stood upright. He shook his head. "No, but some of the nurses at this hospital are contacts of mine; we kept in touch." He examined each of the trainers individually. They all wore their usual, more casual attire that was suited for light travel. _This won't do,_ he thought. _They will need new clothes for our operations. There should be appropriate gear at the SF base, if I recall._

He nodded to himself. "Let's go," he called, only slightly raising his voice from its usual monotone. He turned and began to walk out of the room. "We have to leave as soon as possible if we are to make it to the base and still have enough time to get some basic training in."

"We're going to a military base?" Kaylee questioned in shock.

"Of course," Riaz's voice called from the hall, "where else would I take you? Now, let's go."

Koty, Ryan, Callie, and Kaylee exchanged looks and, deciding that they may as well see for themselves what awaited them, followed the man. Upon reaching the ground floor and exiting through the automatic sliding doors, the five were greeted with a black, box-shaped vehicle parked in the lot just beyond the entrance. Waiting patiently outside the vehicle was a woman with shoulder-length blond hair. There seemed to be a calm air about her similar to that of the Commander. Yet while his was relaxed, hers was of the utmost seriousness.

She looked each of them in the eye, one by one. Her expression didn't change in the slightest. "Good morning," she greeted simply. "The Commander has informed me of your decision to assist us in our capture of Argus." She paused a moment as the teens in front of her nodded. "Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ramona Johnson; I am the Commander's right-hand woman." She gestured to Riaz with an open palm.

"She'll take us to the SF base out of the city. Once there, she and I will instruct you in our training program. There, at the base, is where you will be staying for a while."

Ramona herself nodded. "I take it you are all prepared to leave?" Hesitantly, each of the teens nodded once more. "Good," she continued, "climb in and we'll be on our way. It will take about two hours, so be ready for a long ride." She then walked around to the other side of the vehicle and, opening the door, entered through the driver's side. The Commander, once Ramona and the other four passengers were seated, placed himself in the front passenger seat.

* * *

The next two hours seemed to drag on endlessly for the younger trainers. The vehicle had three rows of seats; Commander Riaz rode shotgun while Ramona drove. Kaylee and Callie were able to engage each other in idle conversation. Kaylee nuzzled her Vulpix as Callie petted the Plusle and Minun that rested on her legs. Koty-who sat in the row behind them- found nothing better to occupy his time with than to polish his badges as Walter fell asleep next to him. Ryan, however, slept nearly the entire time with Pikachu in his lap.

Callie looked down at the fox in Kaylee's arms and smiled. "Your Vulpix is so cute! She's so well-grooomed."

Kaylee returned the gesture. "Aw, thank you! Your Plusle and Minun are adorable!"

In the beginning, the two hadn't talked much beyond these words until Callie had brought up the subject of Kaylee's-and now her own-friends. "So," she started, "how did you get to know Koty and Ryan?"

Kaylee blinked; she stared at Callie for a moment before looking down at her Vulpix. "That's a good question. I've known Koty for a long time, ever since I was little." She giggled to herself as she continued, "He was always this outgoing, funny guy that I've looked up to. He's been kind of an older brother to both me and Ryan. But with Ryan..."

Callie listened intently, waiting for Kaylee to continue. "How _did_ you meet Ryan?"

She thought a moment. She smiled. "It wasn't very long ago. My friend Patricia, who lived in the same town as Koty and I, had one day started talking about this boy she knew from Kanto. (We had lived in Hoenn at the time, before Professor Sycamore had asked us to go travel around Kalos as a favor to him.)" Kaylee, at this point, started to laugh to herself. "She talked about him a lot, and I could tell there was something going on between them but they have no clue."

Callie tilted her head to the side. "So, what? Are you saying they like each other?"

"I think so. But, that's beside the point. One day he came to visit her and made instant friends with Koty. They all had a great time, but I didn't like him so much." She inhaled and, slowly, exhaled. Kaylee smiled warmly once again. "But before we left, Patricia made me promise that I wouldn't let anything happen to him. I didn't want to keep that promise at first, but she's a good friend of mine and I couldn't let her down. I guess it wasn't until he, Koty, and I started our journey in Kalos together that he and I started to get along."

Both girls looked back at the sleeping boys resting in the seats behind them. "Turns out he's not so bad," Kaylee finished. With a sudden turn of her head she looked to see that Callie had had her gaze fixed on Koty.

She looked back and her face began to heat up. "Wait, what's the matter?"

Kaylee laughed. "Oh, nothing. Koty's a pretty good guy, too. Why not give him a chance?"

The other girl had no answer. She stared at Kaylee for a moment, then back at Koty before facing forward and remaining silent for the rest of the trip.

* * *

The Western SF base, of which Riaz assumed command, turned out to be in the rough, mountainous area outside of Shalour City. After maneuvering through a mile or so of rocky rerrain the group arrived at their destination. The SF, or Special Forces, base was a group of basic, single-story buildings on an open flatland surrounded by mountains on all sides. An electrified fence encompassed the area. As the vehicle approached, Ramona removed one hand from the steering wheel and, reaching up to the ceiling, pressed a green, illuminated button. The other passengers watched as the electric fence spread apart in front of them and allowed them entrance. Steadily, the vehicle pressed on and, with another push of the green button, the automated fence moved back into place.

Within the fenced-off area, the vehicle continued for only a moment before it turned into a space in front of one of the buildings. It was simply constructed: faded green roof, sheet metal walls. Everyone then exited the vehicle, one by one. Kaylee and Callie woke the two boys in back while Ramona and the Commander walked toward the cabin door. The two shuffled in first, flipped on a light switch, and were followed by the teens.

"This is the only empty building that we have available, so this is where you will be staying," Commander Riaz explained. "There should be spare changes of clothes in each room that we keep handy in case we get trainees. Check those out and find a set that fits, then meet us in the large building to the left of this one in fifteen minutes."

With that, the Commander and Ramona turned and left, allowing Koty, Ryan, Kaylee, and Callie to prepare themselves for the training ahead.


	6. A Night for Valentines

**I am so bad at this planned update thing... ugh. Well I'm here now, a couple days late but it could have been later I guess xD**

**Anyway, happy belated Valentine's Day! Here's some filler for you all.**

* * *

The air inside the cabin was still and dry. It provided little comfort for the resting Ryan who had found solitude on the plain couch in the main room. His arms were crossed over his face as he lie on his back. "That was rough," he said as he exhaled. "I thought I was training hard with my pokemon this whole time, but these guys proved me wrong. Guess I'm just gonna have to work even harder."

The training session that had taken place beforehand was a simple, yet tiring one. Most of the exercise was testing basic athletic ability: strength, speed, endurance. The next few training sessions would repeat this process in order to build the young trainers' minds. After that, however, their minds and battle skills would be put to the test.

But for now, all Ryan wanted to do was get some sleep so that he would be prepared for the next day's training-which, unfortunately, was not going to happen. His relaxation was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"You gonna sit like that all day?" He moved his arms away from his face and looked forward. Kaylee stood at his feet, holding a flat-screened device in her hand. "Did the training tire you out that badly?"

Ryan didn't have the energy to come up with a snarky comeback. He sighed; "I just need some sleep, that's all." He leaned his head back against the armrest once again.

Scrunching her face, Kaylee tossed the item at him. The flat device flew and landed on his chest. He jumped and, realizing that something was thrown at him, picked it up slowly. "What's this?" he asked.

"It's a cell phone." She answered so plainly it was almost sarcastic. "You can make calls, send texts..."

Ryan sighed. "I know what a phone is. I meant, why are you giving this to me?"

She didn't seem to have an answer at first. She folded her arms. "Well, we're not gonna be seeing any video phones or anything, and you don't have a phone..." she trailed off. Kaylee then looked him in the eyes. "Just look in the contacts and call the number already loaded in there."

He could have sworn that Kaylee winked as she walked away. He looked down at the phone and immediately recognized that something was wrong.

"Uh, Kaylee... this is a touch phone."

His answer came from the other room. "Yeah, so?"

"...How do I open the contacts?"

"Damn it, Ryan!"

* * *

Outside of the cabin, the air was relatively cool. It was beginning to grow dark, and the many Kricketot that come out at night play their song. There was a slight breeze that carried Callie's hair with it before allowing it to return to its original shape. She had had one thing on her mind ever since her talk with Kaylee before arriving at the base. _"__Why not give him a chance?" _Callie pondered these words all night, even through the training from earlier that day.

She looked to her left to see the subject of her thoughts. Callie had asked Koty, who now had his hands in the front pouch of his sweatshirt, to take a walk with her outside for some fresh air. Deciding to break the proverbial ice, Callie spoke up. "This weather is beautiful tonight, isn't it?"

Koty agreed. "Yeah, it is! For once it's not freezing cold outside." She nodded to this. Getting the obvious feeling that the weather wasn't what Callie had really wanted to ask him, he asked, "So what was it you asked me to take a walk with you for?"

She didn't seem to be unfazed by the question. If anything, she hoped he would ask. She answered, "I'm not entirely sure, myself. But-" Koty remained quiet and listened, never taking his eyes off of her. "-I think... that I may _like_ you."

He stared at her in silence, his mouth slightly agape. "Wait, you mean _like_ like me?"

She looked him in the eyes and, slowly and deliberately, nodded. Koty grinned. "So, the old Koty charm worked on you after all!"

Callie laughed. "Maybe it did, but don't get too confident."

Koty returned the laugh and pushed her playfully before running off. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"I will fight you!" she shouted in return, unable to keep a straight face. She chased him down the dirt road that encircled the complex.

* * *

After several minutes of swiping the screen and apologizing to three different people for dialing the wrong numbers, Ryan eventually found the Contacts tab and opened it successfully. He found the number without a name to match. Thinking that there was no harm in dialing the number, he did just that and held the device to his ear as he leaned back once again. _These things are so weird. Do people even use these for calling anymore?_

It rang for a moment before the other end picked up. He called, "Hello?"

"Ryan?"

He froze. How did she...? "Patricia?"

"Ryan, hi!" the voice greeted enthusiastically. "It's so good to hear from you!"

He scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Same here! How are you?"

"I'm good, I guess. I mean, Valentine's Day is today and everyone is freaking out because I don't have a Valentine,"she replied. She laughed. "It's dumb, right? It's just a holiday."

Ryan laughed as well. "Yeah, true. But y'know, if you want I could be your Valentine." His face reddened. Did he just...? Not two minutes into the call and he was already jumping into things.

"W-What? Are you saying that you...?"

He swallowed hard. In truth, he had felt strongly about her for a while but, because he was on his journey and Patricia lived across the world, he couldn't bring himself to say anything before. He had to decide. In an attempt to cover it up, he blurted, "As a friendly thing, y'know? Friends act as Valentines all the time, right?"

There was a long pause. Ryan's heart was about to come bursting through his chest.

Patricia's voice returned from the phone. "Y-Yeah, sure. That's fine."

He felt a pain in his chest. _Crap, what did I just do? _he thought. _If I don't tell her the truth now... well, I really don't want to find out._

"No, it's not fine," he answered. "I was unsure about it before, but now I've never been more sure about anything in my life. Patricia, I... I like you."

Another pause; this time, not as long. "And," her voice asked, "this is for real this time?"

He nodded, quickly realizing that she couldn't see him do so. "Yeah... it's for real. I like you."

Kaylee, unbeknownst to Ryan, smiled warmly as she stood in the doorway behind him.

"...I like you too," Patricia answered. Ryan's body relaxed and he exhaled deeply. From the other end of the call, Patricia smiled. "So, um... are we a thing now?"

Ryan scratched the back of his head, thinking. _This is tough... I want to say yes, but this distance thing is gonna make it rough. But I can't say no either, because I really like her a lot. _

After another moment, he seemed to come up with a solution. "Yeah, I'd like that. I know it'll be long-distance for a while, but we can make it work. I'll wait til I meet you to make it totally official. Deal?"

"Deal!" Patricia's voice echoed. Even though he couldn't see her, Ryan could tell that Patricia was excited.


End file.
